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Monday, September 18, 2017

The Great Panda Rescue Chapter 1 - Fiction STEM Interactive Reader

Claire
put on her purple skirt and her new white T-shirt with a small panda on the
tiny front pocket. She checked herself out in the mirror and smiled. She liked
what she saw – in her room anyway. She smiled at herself again.

Today is the day you will not be
so shy, she
repeated what she said to herself everyday. Hoping one day it would stick.

Claire
was twelve, tall and thin. She liked her dark honey blonde hair. She liked her
eyes and most everything about her and for the life of her she could not figure
out why she was so shy – only she was. Everyday she worked on overcoming it and
everyday she made a little bit of progress.

This
very minute she was excited for the day’s field trip. Today her class was going
to the largest animal rescue shelter and observation center in the eastern
United States.

Claire
wanted to be a vet when she grew up. She wanted to specialize in large animals,
but not domestic large animals – no horses and cows for her – Claire wanted to
concentrate on species like lions and tigers and bears: “Oh yes!” bears! –
giant panda bears in to be exact.

“Come
on!” Claire yelled across the hall to her twin sister who was still lingering
in bed.“We haveta be at school early
this morning or we’ll miss the bus.”

Julia
pulled her pillow over her head and rolled towards the window.

“Sunshine,” Julia thought as she sighed and
got out of bed. “Why doesn’t it ever rain
when I need it to!” she said to herself as she ripped a brush through her
shiny milk chocolate hair.

Claire
appeared at her sister’s side. “Oh just let me do it,” she said as she grabbed
the brush from Julia. “You won’t have any hair left if you brush like that. You
have to hold the top and comb the bottom.”

Julia
pulled away and went to her closet.

“Or
just leave it messy,” Claire mumbled as she headed down the hall for breakfast.

Julia
and Claire were not identical twins, but they had that twin bond enabling them to
think each other’s thoughts and feel each other’s feelings. Claire was younger,
by only a few minutes - Julia was smaller and Claire was very competent at
helping Julia do everything. Sometimes Julia liked it and sometimes she didn’t.

This morning was definitely a “didn’t.”

Julia
grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt.

“You’re
going to be hot,” Claire stated matter-of-factly.

Julia
jumped – startled.

“I
thought you went to the kitchen,” she said tugging on her jeans.

“I’m
back.”

“Obviously.”

“You’re
going to be hot.”

Julia
pulled on her shirt. “Maybe I think you are going to be cold.” Julia whisked
past her sister and went into the bathroom.“Will you do a ponytail?” Julia smiled.

Without
another word, Claire patiently brushed Julia’s hair into a flowy ponytail.

“Thanks,”
Julia said as she brushed her teeth. “Now I’ll be cool.”

“Do
that after you eat,” Claire was not trying to be bossy, only helpful.

“Big
field trip today,” Mom said as she poured juice and placed cereal and milk on
the table.

“I
don’t believe in zoos,” Julia said slowly. “I wouldn’t want to live in a cage.”

“We
aren’t going to a zoo,” Claire corrected. “We’re going to a place where they
rescue animals from circuses, hunters and even people and keep them safe. The
goal is to try to help the animals get them ready to live back in the wild
again.”

“That
doesn’t actually happen,” Julia said slowly, remembering what their teacher
told them about circus animals, and such, ever getting back to the wild.

“It
does sometimes,” Claire said. “Besides, the place we are going is like the wild
for them and we get to see the giant pandas.”

“You’re
obsessed,” Julia said.

“I
read that there are just about 2,000 giant pandas living in the wild,” Dad said
as he poured his coffee and joined the girls at the table.

“I
believe 1,864 to be exact,” answered mom.

“Less-
about 1,600. And you know what?” Claire added remorsefully. Claire loved giant
pandas. “The main sanctuary in China is having problems. Since ancient times –
like 1970 – the panda population has only gone up from like 1000. That is not
very much. So, I’ve decided I’m going to save the giant pandas.”

“I was born in 1970,” Dad said.

“Not
really ancient,” Mom said.

“Welllllll,”
Julia smiled. “Sort of is.”

“Annyywayyy,
the ones we’re seeing today are cuddly little ones bred for China – they’ll be
released into the wild after they go back home.”

“Careful
with the cuddly stuffy Claire. They have the DNA of a bear and the teeth of a
dog and one can rip your head off,” Julia swiped her hand and roared for
affect. “Besides the cubs aren’t going back only the mom,” Julia said
matter-of-factly.

“I’m
just glad we get to see them,” Claire said, referring to the giant pandas at
the Randolph Reserve they were visiting on their field trip today. “I just wish
they could all go back to the wild together.”

“The
director said the cubs wouldn’t make it if they went back,” Mom said. “They
just wouldn’t survive the wild.”

“I
am going to save them all,” Claire retorted.

“And
I am going to be a ballerina,” laughed Julia and the whole family joined her.
Julia did not like to dance – that was also her sister Claire’s thing –
dancing, art and pandas – and well school. Claire liked school too.

This is Chapter 1 of “The Great Panda Rescue” Interactive Reader. This is a perfect STEM story with ELA, SPaG and other cross-curricular activates and lessons for each chapter. Lessons include: fluency, comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, science, math and more. This particular chapter is aligned with 3, 4 and 5 CCSS for ELA.